[youngzayiles]

So I hear people talking about dirty flashing all the time but I want to know under what circumstances do you guys usually dirty flash?? From what I understand s dirty install only wipes dalvik, cache, and system but NOT wiping data... Is that correct?? So for example if im staying on the same rom AOKP milestone 5 and just going to milestone 6 could I dirty flash so I dont loose all my app data etc... I do know u always make a backup though just in case.... Thanks in advance for the help..

[ultravisitor]

A clean flash is necessary if major changes have been made to the ROM, such as going from one version of Android to another. A lot of developers will tell you when it is absolutely necessary to do a clean flash.

For instance, the instructions for AOKP milestone 6 say that you must wipe data when going from milestone 5 to milestone 6.

When the instructions say that it's simply recommended that you wipe data, you'll probably be safe dirty flashing.

So, as always, READ THE INSTRUCTIONS.

[youngzayiles]

A clean flash is necessary if major changes have been made to the ROM, such as going from one version of Android to another. A lot of developers will tell you when it is absolutely necessary to do a clean flash.

For instance, the instructions for AOKP milestone 6 say that you must wipe data when going from milestone 5 to milestone 6.

When the instructions say that it's simply recommended that you wipe data, you'll probably be safe dirty flashing.

So, as always, READ THE INSTRUCTIONS.

Well the reason I ask is because alot of threads will say in the instructions to do a clean install and wipe data etc.... But then people dirty flash anyway and alot of times they have no problem.. To me its just a pain to set up everything all over again so thats why I ask.. So your saying is maybe only to dirty flash on nightly builds for example?? I know its never a good idea to go from say ICS to Jellybean doing a dirty flash..

[jaredsutter]

Usually if I am updating but staying on the same ROM I will dirty flash unless the dev specifically instructs to wipe everything, or if I have been experiencing issues on the current ROM. I very rarely have issues dirty flashing, and if I do, I can always go back and wipe and reflash.

[ultravisitor]

So your saying is maybe only to dirty flash on nightly builds for example??

There are sometimes even big enough changes between nightlies that will require you to wipe everything. The changelog/installation instructions will often indicate when that is the case, which is why you should always make sure to pay attention to them.